


What a day we had

by Whoisgoodisbeautiful



Category: Call the Midwife
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-07
Updated: 2016-11-20
Packaged: 2018-09-01 02:01:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8602864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whoisgoodisbeautiful/pseuds/Whoisgoodisbeautiful
Summary: I'm moving this over from ff.net since I've forgotten my password. It was written and is set just after series 2 so strays from canon quite a bit. Hope you enjoy, if you haven't read it before. :)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm moving this over from ff.net since I've forgotten my password. It was written and is set just after series 2 so strays from canon quite a bit. Hope you enjoy, if you haven't read it before. :)

It had not been a busy morning. Reliable contraception was starting to find its way into Poplar and births were fewer and if possible more anticipated. This new level of control on the parents' side meant less work for the midwives and the occasional morning off was starting to be routine.

On this particular morning the nurses had been mending the dining room curtains that had been there longer than the nuns themselves. The fabric was so delicate it was hardly worth mending but what with Nonnatos House being threatened with demolition they had all agreed they would save all the money they could for the possible future hardship. They had sat in silence and concentrated on the work to begin with but it was a lovely sunny day and the nurses were getting restless in the relatively dark kitchen. Nearing lunch they heard the doorbell ring and Sister Julienne emerged from her office to answer. They heard a couple of 'hello's and other comments appropriate to the time of day and saw the robust figure of Chummy wandered into the kitchen looking exhausted while Sister Julienne returned to her office.

"Chummy!" came delighted shouts from all around. The curtains were instantly forgotten. "Chummy, how are you?" "How's little Freddie?"

"Oh, he's an absolute beast. He never stops crying and he thinks testing my mothering abilities to the limit is the best occupation in the world."

"Oh dear, I'm sorry Chummy", Cynthia tried to display her most sympathetic face. "Although, testing your mothering abilities is what his life is all about now. He's only four weeks old, Chummy".

"I know. And I love him to bits, we both do, but no sleep and constant worry is starting to take its toll. You'd think that after delivering so many babies, I would know what to do with one but we always leave when the difficult bit starts! I have never had to look after a baby in my life and look at me now! Completely useless."

"I'm certain you are a wonderful mother, Chummy. All you need is a bit of practice and that is what you are experiencing now." Shelagh smiled tentatively.

"You're right, of course. I'm being silly. I think you and I should start a club."

"Oh?" Shelagh raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"Yes, the married women's club. We can share secrets of our married life".

Shelagh blushed and hid her face in her tea cup.

"Oh, Goodness, I'm so terribly sorry. I didn't mean those kind of secrets. Truly, the thought didn't cross my mind. I meant advice on how to take care of babies or cooking. Gosh. I am so sorry."

"No need to apologise, Chummy." Shelagh tried to compose her features before continuing. "But I'm not yet married, let alone having a baby. I don't even know if that is at all a plausible outcome and even if it were to be, it's all sufficiently far in the future to be uncertain and potentially..." She stopped. The girls were all staring at her. Jenny was suppressing a giggle and Cynthia was avoiding meeting her eyes. Trixie's face, however, was positively shocked.

"Shelagh!" she cried. "Surely you are not telling me that you haven't discussed this with Dr Turner? Hasn't he said whether he wants another baby or not? Because it would make quite a big difference to your way of life if he didn't, you know? Although, having said that, you could always use contraception and it would make no difference at all in that aspect."

"Thank you, Trixie, I am well aware of that. And no, we have not discussed babies, unless it is the ones we deliver. Now, if we could please change the subject I would be very much obliged."

"You won't get away that easily. You've been engaged for more than a month! And you're getting married soon. You must ask him! I insist!"

"I will do no such thing!" Shelagh looked pleadingly at the other nurses. She saw the excitement in their faces and realised Trixie was right. She wouldn't get away that easily. She sighed and made sure they all knew she was offended even though she was secretly amused by their attentiveness. She decided to play along.

"Trixie, you forget you are speaking with someone who used to be a nun. The notion of... physical closeness is not included in our repertoire and is therefore very new to me. Dr Turner is aware of this and deals with it with much greater tact than any of you, I must say.”

"What is it I deal with better than the nurses?" Dr Turner had just walked in. Silence, a few giggles and several scarlet faces met his question.


	2. Chapter 2

Shelagh stood up carefully, leaning on the back of the chair as she did so.  
“Hello Patrick”. She smiled timidly at him.  
“Hello Shelagh”. He smiled back at her and relaxed, forgetting what it was he came to say, indeed forgetting everything he had ever known.  
The giggles, nudges and attempts at keeping straight faces went completely unnoticed by them both as they stood, immobile and blissfully unaware.   
“Nurse Franklin! The phone has been ringing for what seems like an eternity and I cannot see you rushing to get it. You are Nurse Franklin I take it, and not some imposter who doesn’t know they’re first on call this morning?” Sister Evangelina’s trumpeting broke the spell on Shelagh and Patrick and they both turned to look at the source of the noise. Rather sheepishly they met Sister Evangelina’s accusing eyes as she ushered Trixie out of the kitchen. 

“You two should know better than to keep a nurse from doing her job, even if it is a particularly easily distracted one. Did you come for a reason Dr Turner, or are you idle enough these days to have time to gaze at your blushing bride?” Sister Evangelina said with a hint of irony but not malignantly.

“Sister” Shelagh said in her most stern voice.

Sister Evangelina held up her hand in a demonstrative gesture. “I know, I know. Do not offend the Doctor. I beg your pardon, Doctor. No offence intended”.

“None taken, Sister” he responded in a bemused tone. 

Sister Evangelina rolled her eyes and went after Trixie into the hall.

“I did have a reason to come here, Shelagh.” Patrick said, now in a hushed voice directed solely at Shelagh. Could I speak to you in private?” “Of course”.

They went to Shelagh’s room. The Sisters had not had the heart to make her move out of her room so she still lived in the nuns’ quarters. Shelagh closed the door quietly behind them and looked up expectantly at her fiancé. “Yes?”, she asked when he didn’t say anything.

He shook his head and smiled. “Oh it’s nothing very interesting I’m afraid. Timothy wants to invite you over for dinner. And with dinner I mean fish & chips from the corner shop. It’s not” “I’m sure that will be wonderful.” Shelagh interrupted him. “Good” he sighed. Timothy will be relieved to hear that. I’ll pick you up at say 6?” 

“That will be lovely. Thank You, Patrick”.

They lingered by the door and both reached for the door handle. When their hands briefly collided they drew back instinctively. “Sorry”, Shelagh whispered happily. He didn’t answer but took her hand and held it firmly in his while reaching for the door handle a second time with his other hand. “Duty calls I’m afraid. But I will see you this evening.” He led her out of her room and down the corridor. Only when they got to the main door did she realise that he was still holding her hand. They smiled at each other and he set off down the steps to his car.

“So?” Trixie said whilst trying to tame one of her curls that had rebelled. “What did he want?”

“Oh, nothing much. Timothy wanted to invite me for dinner tonight.”

Trixie’s smile disappeared and Jenny, Cynthia and Chummy, who had obviously been listening behind the kitchen door, came out into the hall. “Oh no but you can’t!” Chummy exclaimed, looking positively devastated. “Whyever not?” Shelagh asked, puzzled. “Because you just can’t. I forbid it!” Trixie declared dramatically. “We shall lock you up in your room and stand guard by your door if that is what it takes.” “But, I don’t understand”, Shelagh said, more confused than ever.


	3. Chapter 3

“We are going to have to tell her”, Cynthia murmured to Jenny. “We are doing no such thing!” Trixie said. “Right, this calls for an emergency meeting, I should think. Shelagh, you are banned to the kitchen for now. And don’t you dare leave it. And we shall know if you do! We’ll have Sister Evangelina spy on you.” “Shelagh was starting to see the amusing side of all the secrecy and giggled softly to herself. The girls had obviously been planning something. Something which included her. The feeling of being part of something, maybe even being the centre of something made her sigh contently while she obediently walked towards the kitchen. 

“Sister Evangelina! Sister!” Trixie’s shrill voice carried through the long corridor as the swish of a habit turned the corner at the end of the hall. Sister Evangelina turned around and squinted at Trixie. “What now?” she asked exasperated.

“We need you to make Shelagh some Horlicks and make sure she doesn’t leave the kitchen.”  
“Oh do you now? Has she lost the ability to use her limbs?” Sister Evangelina asked. Chummy decided that it was time to intervene before there was any irreparable damage done. “Oh do go on, Sister. It would mean ever so much.” Sister Evangelina muttered something inaudible under her breath but the nurses understood she was agreeing. She hadn’t been able to refuse Chummy anything lately so it was always a safe bet to make Chummy ask the now very grumpy Sister.

“Thank God for that” Jenny muttered as Sister Evangelina shuffled into the kitchen to keep Shelagh company. The nurses hurried to the nearest room, Cynthia’s, and shut the door firmly behind them.

“What do we do?” Cynthia asked worriedly. “As I see it we only have two choices” Jenny suggested. “Either we tell her, or we don’t”. “I vote for don’t” said Chummy. “All right. Say we don’t tell her” Jenny pondered. “How do we explain to Dr Turner that Shelagh won’t be joining them for dinner?” “Well that’s just it! Oh, how terribly clever of you Jenny” Chummy exclaimed, delighted. “Is it?” Jenny was perplexed. “Yes, we explain it all to Dr Turner. He can bring Timothy too. Oh how marvelous!” Chummy was beaming at them. “Actually, that’s not a bad idea Chummy” Cynthia agreed. Trixie made an affirmative gesture nonchalantly while Jenny nodded. “Good, so who wants to explain it all to Dr Turner?” Trixie was suddenly very busy with her rebellious curl and Jenny had found a stain on her cardigan that wouldn’t come off. “I’ll do it then I suppose” Cynthia offered reluctantly. “Good! That’s that then” Trixie said, her hair in perfect order again. She then bounced off the bed they were all sitting on and led the way back to the kitchen. 

The nurses joined Sister Evangelina and Shelagh in the kitchen while Cynthia went to use the telephone. She dialed the number to the surgery and hesitated a bit when she heard Dr Turner’s “Good Morning”. Was this really such a good idea? She decided it was by the time Dr Turner repeated “Morning?” “Good Morning Doctor. This is Nurse Miller. I wanted to speak to you about something which we think concerns you”.

The other nurses were making quite the racket in kitchen, ensuring Shelagh didn’t overhear Cynthia’s conversation with Dr Turner. So much so that Sister Julienne had to come in and ask them to be quiet. 

At a quarter to six Shelagh retired to her room to get changed. The nurses no longer objected to her plan to go to the Turners’ for dinner, which she found slightly disconcerting. Their glances at each other when she announced she was off to get ready told her something was going on but she decided to ignore it.


	4. Chapter 4

She had barely reached her room and picked out her plaid skirt and jacket when she heard a knock on the door. She called a distrustful “come in” and saw Jenny poking her head in. She then beckoned to somebody else and before she knew it, Shelagh’s room was invaded by all four nurses and Jane, who had just arrived from visiting the rectory, her glasses were removed and someone tied a scarf over her eyes. She was too shocked to protest or even speak as she felt someone tugging at her shirt and skirt. “Oh no, this will never do” she heard Trixie’s voice say. She soon felt fingers fiddling with her buttons and ribbons until she was left standing in her undergarment, feeling rather bare. “Trixie?” she said helplessly. “Patience is a virtue, Shelagh. I’d have thought you knew that” was the mischievous reply. “Trixie! Don’t tease. Don’t worry Shelagh, we’ll be done soon” Cynthia tried comforting her. Shelagh had wrapped her arms around herself for warmth or modesty, but had to let go when her knee was lifted up and she nearly lost her balance. “Sorry”, she heard Jane’s small voice apologising. “You can hold on to me”. Shelagh grabbed hold of Jenny’s arms as she balanced on one leg. She felt fabric being pulled up to her waist and tightened significantly. Her arms were maneuvered through more material and she felt her lungs being compressed. “There, that’s better”. Shelagh did not feel better. She felt just as bare as she had been in her undergarment. There was no fabric around her arms and what she took to be a dress barely reached her knees. 

“Off we go then.” Jenny took hold of her arms again as Trixie, she assumed, forced her feet into something she could not have guessed were shoes. She gained height and stumbled out of the room and down the hall, still blindfolded and bewildered.

They led her down the steps and sat her on the back of the scooter. She heard the rustling of dresses and the scraping of the bicycles as they were led out of the shed. A scarf was placed over her shoulders and she gripped it thankfully. "Right, you hold on tightly now" Trixie said as she mounted the scooter. Shelagh was starting to feel scared now. She grabbed hold of Trixie and put her arms around her waist. This would be the end of her, she thought as the scooter jerked and sped off with a roar.

Eventually, they stopped. The cold air turned warmer as it grew still around her and the earth stopped spinning as she placed both feet on the ground. She took some deep breaths and relaxed. The others soon caught up with them on their bicycles. "Gosh, that thing is fast!" Chummy panted.

Shelagh turned around and looked blindly at the other girls. "I would be most grateful if you could untie this now, please" she begged. Her voice was weak and tired. "I'll do that" came the deep, comforting voice of Dr Turner. "Patrick?" she stretched her arms out in search for him. He gripped her outstretched hands and kissed them lightly. He let her hands go and started fiddling with the knot Trixie had tied the scarf in. Finally he managed to undo it and removed the scarf from Shelagh's eyes. She turned around in silence and looked at him. "It is you then" she managed. "Can I trust you to tell me where we might be? The girls have been terribly unobliging." He tilted his head slightly and said "why, I'm escorting you to a dance, of course". "You're escorting all of us, then?" she said, bemused. "Oh no, that wouldn't do." he replied, feigning being cross. She looked at him, confused. He jerked his head barely noticeably and Shelagh noticed a small figure fighting to keep his heels off the ground. Timothy was holding his back straighter than ever before and kept close to Cynthia who was nevertheless taller than him. His tie was tucked into his trousers and his hair was combed, although Shelagh suspected one of the girls had recently forced his fringe into place because he was continually trying to shake it into life again.

Shelagh and Patrick walked up to the group of girls and the little boy. "Hello, Shelagh" Timothy greeted her excitedly. "Hello Timothy. I see you are escorting the girls to the dance today." Timothy nodded vigorously. "It's my first dance" he explained. "We'll have to make sure you enjoy yourself then", Trixie said and took him by the hand. She led him into the hall and the others followed. Shelagh felt strangely afraid as they approached the music, its volume increasing steadily. She realised she'd never even tried to imagine what a dance was like. She had seen the nurses getting ready for them and she had liked the thought of a cosy room, girly gossip and dressing up, but she'd never known what happened once the girls stepped out of Nonnatus House. Suddenly she wasn't sure she wanted to know. She longed for the safety of Nonnatus or Patrick's house and she envied Timothy's eager at this first dance. She clung to Patrick's arm as they stepped through the doors and she felt like closing her eyes and hiding. But she didn't. Dr Turner seemed to sense how she felt for he took his coat off, but instead of hanging it on one of the pegs by the entrance, he placed it over Shelagh's shoulders and drew her close. She wasn't cold but the feeling of Patrick's big coat gave her comfort.

Trixie had already found them a table and beckoned them over. The music was loud and there were people everywhere. The place was so full of life it drained all her energy. She found her thoughts wandering on to the stillness of the chapel, the silence and the calm. She did close her eyes this time as she imagined the nuns sitting there now, without her. She was brought back to the here and now by the still high pitched voice of Timothy standing next to her. "Do you want to dance, Shelagh?" She smiled broadly at him as she contemplated whether she dared. "Timothy!" Patrick looked disapproving but couldn't think of a reason to tell Timothy off. "That's not how you ask a girl to dance. You say: Are you dancing? And she has to reply" he made a barely noticeable pause to see if Shelagh was going to reply. She didn't. "Are you asking? And then you can take her to dance. Go on, ask Cynthia." "But I was asking Shelagh!" Timothy protested, obviously hurt. "Oh please do, Timothy. I'll feel sad otherwise" Cynthia intervened, sensing Dr Turner was trying to distract Timothy. Timothy turned to Cynthia, head bowed and his foot scraping the floor in front of him. "Are you dancing?" he said and Cynthia replied, having guessed what words had been drowned by the music, "are you asking?" and she took his hand carefully and led him onto the dance floor.

Shelagh felt rather uncomfortable as she watched the boy dragging his feet along. He was like a balloon that had just been poked with a needle. All his bubbling joy was gone, and it was their fault. She looked pleadingly at Patrick. He pulled his fingers through his hair and sighed. Shelagh had noticed he had started having trouble dealing with Timothy. There was nothing wrong with the boy, and nothing wrong with him either, but they seemed to be growing apart and she couldn't bear to watch it. Her fear was gone in an instant and she felt more confident than she had in a long time. She was going to dance.  
Patrick watched her walk steadily across the dance floor in her high heels, dodging the flying couples, stopping as she reached Cynthia and Timothy by the far wall. He saw her tapping Timothy's shoulder and speaking into his ear. He could see, or at least imagine, how Timothy's face lit up as he turned to face Shelagh and placed his right hand in hers and his left on her waist, as he had been taught to do. Cynthia was whisked up by Trixie and Jane who had gone on to the floor on their own so he was left at the table with Chummy. "Shall I get you a drink, Chummy?" he asked. "Oh no, thank you, Doctor. I'm still feeding baby Freddie so that wouldn't be all to wise, I should think". "Of course, I forgot". "No matter, Doctor. And don't worry, I'm sure you shall get your bride back in two shakes of a lamb’s tail" she laughed encouragingly. "I know, Chummy. I know" he sighed happily as he watched his son and his future wife laughing as they watched each other’s feet. He suspected there would be a few sore toes in the morning.

He was suddenly awoken from his daydream by the sight of Shelagh and Timothy standing right in front of him. Shelagh’s cheeks had acquired a hint of red by the heat and the exercise but there was a worried look in her eyes as she examined his face. Timothy on the other hand was getting impatient by his slow reactions and shook his arm. “Dad!” 

He collected his thoughts, gave a slight shudder and smiled. “Sorry, I was miles away”. Shelagh smiled back while letting herself be pulled into a chair by Timothy. The boy was chatting along and both Shelagh and Patrick nodded and made the appropriate comments of enquiry, interest and delight. Finally, Timothy decided he was going back onto the dance floor. He spotted Trixie and dashed off, any thought of never leaving Shelagh’s side forgotten. 

Shelagh and Patrick were left to sit in silence at the table. They fumbled with their drinks and watched Trixie and Jenny teaching Timothy to dance. They smiled independently at Timothy’s attempt to spin Cynthia round. In spite of being relatively close in height, he couldn’t manage to lift his arm over her head and got stuck with his elbow at her neck, nearly knocking poor Cynthia to the floor. Patrick looked over at Shelagh and saw her beaming at the dancers. He tilted his head and continued staring at her, trying to absorb every detail of her features, every slight movement on her face, her hand and her hair. He was almost shocked when she turned to look straight at him. She blushed and turned away as she realised he had been looking at her but then she seemed to correct herself and looked him straight in the eyes. He took a deep breath and straightened his tie. 

He stood up, one hand clasping the back of the chair. He took a small step toward her and stopped in front of her chair. He made a small but clear bow and extended his right hand, his palm inviting her to take it. She didn’t linger in her chair long and slid her hand into his. His hand closed gently around hers, his fingers barely touching her knuckles. They reached the edge of the dance floor and stopped. He hesitated a moment before carefully placing his hand on her waist. The feeling of the textile under his fingers made him draw back momentarily before composing himself and returning his hand to its place. He could feel her moving under his palm and thought for a moment how inappropriately tight Jenny’s dress was. Could she even breathe? At the same time he couldn’t deny she was probably the most modestly dressed woman present and she was beautiful. He forced himself to realise his mind was playing tricks on him. Seeing Shelagh without her habit was still new to him. He felt a pang of guilt as he realised that if the change made him this confused how might it be making her feel? He looked down into Shelagh’s face and was overcome by the reality of it all. This was her, in a dress, dancing with him. A slight shift in her expression made him realise he had pulled her in, closer, and was pressing his fingers into her waist and hand. He relaxed his grip immediately and looked apologetically at her. 

“I say, Doctor.” Chummy’s voice made the dancing couple release each other and turn. “I think we will be heading back now. Peter won’t manage much longer on his own and I dare say your boy has had all the excitement he can take for one evening”. Shelagh and Patrick stretched their necks to look for Timothy and with Chummy’s indication they found him curled up in one of the chairs, eyes closed, smiling contently. “I think you might be right, Chummy. If you wait I can drive you back.” “Oh, how spiffing” Chummy exclaimed and walked off to tell the others. Patrick approached the dosing Timothy and shook him lightly. “Come on, Timothy, wake up”. “You can’t wake him!” Trixie exclaimed. “He’s exhausted, poor baby.” Patrick raised his eyebrows. “You better not let him hear you call him that. I assure you he sees himself as quite the adult.”

“I’m afraid I can’t drive you all back to Nonnatus House. If you squeeze together you could fit three into the back seat with Timothy and another one in the front seat. So, who’s coming with me?” They decided Chummy, Jane, Cynthia and Shelagh would go with the Doctor while Jenny took the scooter and Trixie had to settle for one of the bicycles. “I might as well get one bicycle back to Nonnatus, for whoever is on call tomorrow morning”, she said, resigned.


	5. Chapter 5

By the time they got back to Nonnatus House it was late and they expected the nuns to be asleep. They were therefore very surprised to see lights on as they got out of the car. Patrick drove off with the sleeping Timothy after having wished them all a good night. The girls headed up the stairs and were even more puzzled by hearing voices, raised voices through the door. As they opened the door they heard Sister Monica Joan’s voice, shriller than usual, reciting nonsensically “Whilst I -- Ah is it not a shame? Sad tears am shedding”. They expected her to be hushed or ignored but were surprised to hear Sister Julienne agreeing with her. “I couldn’t have put it better myself, dear Sister” she said and sighed heavily. The door slammed loudly and the girls jumped with fright and threw exasperated looks at Chummy, the culprit. Chummy started apologising but was interrupted by the Sisters turning up at the door. “Oh, you’re back” was all Sister Evangelina said. “You better come and sit down” Sister Julienne added and the girls were shocked to see her looking old and haggard. Her shoulders were curved and her head bowed. They entered the sitting room precariously and saw Sister Monica Joan sitting in her usual chair, seemingly trying to chew Pinky’s arm off. The doll was already one leg short and the yarn was unraveling. 

“We seem to be two nurses short” Sister Julienne said matter of factly. “They are on their way” Cynthia said, explanations superfluous. As they spoke they heard the door and Jenny’s questioning face appeared. Sister Julienne sighed deeply again and looked grievously at them all. “I might as well start” she said. “I fear we have had some bad news. We are to be evicted with immediate effect.” We have been informed (she said this with such sarcasm that even Jane picked up on it) that demolition of this building will commence the day after tomorrow and we are expected to evacuate tomorrow. 

There would have been shocked exclamations and raged outbursts had the girls not been utterly paralised and speechless at this news.

“I would say you are expected to say something now” came Sister Monica Joan’s surprisingly lucid voice. “But that’s not possible”, Jenny recovered. “They can’t expect that of us, of you! How can they expect that? Tomorrow! That’s inhumane!” Jenny’s simple statements were exactly what they were all thinking. Hearing them, a trembling Chummy stormed out of the room. They could hear her hurried steps going down the hall. Cynthia put her hand to her mouth. “What will Chummy and Peter do? Where will they go? “I don’t know, Cynthia” Sister Julienne replied, exhausted. The tension and despair in the room was apparent and painful. Jenny, Cynthia and Shelagh were all on the verge of tears and Sister Evangelina was so quiet they suspected she was as well. “However difficult this is for us, there is nothing more to do tonight so I suggest we all try to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a busy day.” Sister Julienne had regained some of her authoritative posture but her eyes were dark and blank. 

The next morning arrived as any other day would. Little did the news from the night before affect its beauty and its lustre. As the nurses awoke that morning they saw the sun shining in through the curtains, heard the birds tweeting and the neighborhood stir. The nuns had been up and about since the early hours of dawn and so had most of Poplar. The fishermen had brought their boats to the dock and the fishmongers had been haggling for prices since before the sun rose. The fish market had been bustling with life for hours and the men of Poplar had been clinging to the gates, proving their strength and willingness to work, at least for the day, for just as long. Only in Nonnatus House was the mood subdued and the air dull and heavy. As the doors of the Jenny, Cynthia and Jane’s rooms started to open and they all poked their heads into the hall, the Sisters Julienne and Evangelina appeared with Shelagh following closely. Shelagh had grown accustomed to the early mornings and the prayers at dawn and had felt the need for guidance and courage more than she had since she left the order. Thus, she had been up with the Sisters and spent the morning in prayer. 

“We have been attempting to draw up a plan as to what we will do today” Sister Julienne began her morning greeting. “We would be grateful if you would join us in the sitting room. And do alert Chummy and Peter as well, as this concerns them more than any other. Oh and wake Trixie if you please, Jenny.”  
Jenny nodded and noted Sister Julienne’s familiar tone as she used their Christian names. It was odd and unnerving. She headed toward Chummy and Peter’s room, knocking on Trixie’s door on the way. She sighed deeply and she knocked lightly on Chummy’s door. Finding somewhere for Chummy, Peter and the baby to live was going to be the hardest task. Not many people would take in a newborn baby on such short notice. The door opened slowly and Peter’s tired face appeared. “To the gallows then?” he inquired. “It won’t be as bad as that, I’m sure!” Jenny said with as much reassurance as she could muster. “We’ll be right there” Peter replied, clearly not paying any attention to Jenny.

They had assembled in the sitting room when Chummy and Peter finally joined them. “As I said earlier”, Sister Julienne began, “we have been discussing the future and the possibilities for all of us.” She paused and looked at the grave faces around her. She frowned, tilted her head and asked “is Nurse Franklin not up yet?” a hint of annoyance in her voice. “I knocked on her door but didn’t wait” Jenny ventured. “I’ll try again, shall I?” “If you could, yes. This concerns us all. Even Nurse Franklin.” There was a loud snort as Sister Evangelina shook her head to indicate her disapproval. A stern look from Sister Julienne made her bite her tongue and the company was spared the words that were inevitably in her throat. 

Jenny returned looking oddly flustered and confused. “She’s not there” she announced astounded. “What do you mean, not there?” Sister Evangelina asked, now even more frustrated at Nurse Franklin’s disobedience. “Where else would she be?” “Sister, her bed is made.” Jenny said, turning to Sister Julienne, wringing her hands with a distraught expression on her face. “What do you mean, Nurse?” Sister Julienne was starting to grasp the severity of the situation as she stood up and approached Jenny. “I don’t think she’s been here all night” Jenny said in barely more than a whisper. Sister Julienne crossed the room in three quick steps and headed down the hall. She reached Trixie’s room and saw what Jenny had already seen. The room was not tidy but it was obvious that no one had been there since before they left for the dance. A number of dresses that hadn’t made the cut were spread across the chair and the bed. 

When Sister Julienne returned the room fell quiet and all eyes were on her. She clasped her hands as if gathering strength and took a deep breath. “Does anyone remember Trixie coming back from the dance last night?” A deafening silence met her question. Cynthia had hid her face in her hands and was rocking backwards and forwards. They were all thinking the same thing. How did they not notice Trixie’s absence last night? There had been much going on, they told themselves. They had been shocked and scared and preoccupied. But Trixie’s voice was always the loudest. How had they not missed its presence? “Am I correct in understanding that Trixie was to cycle back on her own?” There was no intentional judgment in Sister Julienne’s voice but all the nurses felt the guilt overwhelm them as they realized how ridiculous an idea it had been. “I took the scooter and it’s much faster than the bicycles” Jenny said shakily and resumed biting her thumb nail. “There’s no point in indulging in guilt and regret. I suggest we arrange a search team instead. For all we know she might be safe and well visiting relatives”. Sister Julienne’s ridiculously improbable possibility made them feel, if possible, even worse.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the topic...

Sister Julienne managed to make a search plan, assigning an area of Poplar to each of the inhabitants of Nonnatus House. The evacuation of the building was abandoned for the time being even though they knew they would all have to face the consequences at a later stage. Finding Trixie was a much more pressing matter and the young nurses and older nuns were secretly grateful for something to do. They had decided that half of the search party would go by foot and search thoroughly in the vicinity of Nonnatus House, while the other half took the bicycles that hadn’t been left at the dance, and searched a wider area. The walkers set off and Jenny and Cynthia headed towards the bicycle racks. As they approached it Jenny stopped so abruptly Cynthia walked right into her back. 

“Ouch”, Cynthia cried, having caught Jenny’s elbow in her chest so that the air was knocked out of her. She looked up at Jenny, irritation in her eyes. “What did you do that for?” Cynthia’s annoyance turned into enquiry even as she said it, seeing the perplexed look on Jenny’s face. Cynthia’s question remained unanswered as Jenny started approaching the bicycle shed as though she were closing in on a terrified baby fox, caught in the headlights of a car. Her back was hunched, her steps hesitant. Cynthia followed her gaze to see what was making her act in that peculiar way. Led by Jenny’s eyes she eventually found a bundle, white and green covered in grey, thrown against the back corner of the tiny shed, behind the bicycles almost entirely obscured. As they approached with lingering steps and raised heartbeats Cynthia started realizing the bundle was a person, huddled into the cracks of the wall, completely still. She gasped with the realization but was hushed by Jenny’s outstretched hand. 

“Hello?” Jenny’s soft, tentative voice echoed into the shed and she automatically took a step back, frightened by her own noisiness. She grimaced at Cynthia and tried again, this time in barely more than a hushed mumble. “Hello? Are you alright?” The silliness of the question hit her as soon as it was out of her mouth. Of course this person wasn’t alright, what a stupid thing to ask. A shiver went through Jenny’s body which she couldn’t explain. She had seen people in much worse states than this. She recalled Mrs Jenkins and how repulsed she had felt at the sight of her. She remembered Sister Julienne’s fearlessness in approaching that wretched woman and taking her hands in spite of the stench and the deceases that were sure to live inside her. She had overcome her initial feeling of disgust at Mrs Jenkins, she had even grown to care deeply for her. She felt like she should have learnt by now, know her own strengths. She could turn a blind eye at incept infestation and inhumane living conditions. This made her reluctance to approach this mud-covered pile so much more incomprehensible to her. “Hello?” she made a third attempt. Still there was no sign of life.

“Let me try” Cynthia suggested, seeing Jenny struggling. She pushed past Jenny in the cramped space of the shed and went all the way up the corner. There was an oddly familiar smell as she bent down and placed her hand where she guessed the person’s shoulder would be. She pulled it back immediately as the bundle gave a small shriek and curled up into an even tighter ball. “It’s alright” Cynthia said quietly. “We can help you”.

“Can we?” Jenny mumbled. There was no longer pity and worry in her voice but it was a resigned monotonous tone that reached Cynthia’s ears. She looked accusingly at Jenny, unable to understand this complete change in her. Jenny was herself rather shocked at her insensitivity and couldn’t explain the urge to run away. She longed for Sister Julienne to come back and deal with this unexplainably painful sight. To remove the creature, take it far away.   
“Yes we can, I promise” Cynthia resumed her reassuring voice as she spoke into the shed. “Why don’t you come with us into the house and we’ll do what we can. Please.” Cynthia’s voice was pleading, not only at the helpless ball of mud but also at Jenny. 

“I’m sorry, I can’t” Jenny whispered as she turned on her heel and dashed up the stairs, back into the house.   
“Nurse Miller? Whatever is the matter with Nurse Lee? I thought you two were supposed to be searching for Trixie?” Sister Julienne had appeared from nowhere and threw a questioning look at Cynthia, crouching in the far end of the bicycle shed. “Or have you found her already?” Her tone was on the verge of mocking but Cynthia ignored the accusing stare of the nun as a sharp pain pierced her stomach. She gasped and clutched her stomach.  
“Oh no”, it was barely more than a whimper and she met Sister Julienne’s eyes, urging her to understand. Sister Julienne did and she dashed forward clasping her cross so that her knuckled whitened. 

“Trixie? Trixie, can you hear me?” Sister Julienne’s presence and authority made the bundle move and it allowed Sister Julienne to carefully take its chin between her finger and thumb and turn its face toward them. Under the dirt and the smudged make up they recognized Trixie’s tear-drenched face.


End file.
